Cheeks wrote at September 11, 2018 at 5:14 PM
(edited at September 11, 2018 at 5:19 PM)

Yeah, mutualism from biological science hence kropotkins mutual aid, is on point. But we are speaking of the economic theory brand of mutualism hence Proudhon. My problem with it has always been Benjamin Tuckers interpretation which has provided fodder for the damned ancaps.

Also I think it's important to realize, as David Graeber repeatedly states in Debt the First 5000 years, that hard defined value economics is a relatively new phenomenon and is probably more closely related to private property than we could originally assume. 4 chickens only = 1 goat because money gives us an arbitrary unit of measument.

Scientifically to an extent, philosophically very much so. Robert Axlrod did an extensive study on this in the early 80's and found that cooperating with an 'opponent' as long as they cooperate, and only retaliating when they were not cooperating, to be the only consistent stratagey to guarantee a victory. This is getting way beyond biology, and more so into gaming theory and ethics, but provides insight into the fundamental benefit of mutual aid over the bullshit pseudo science of Social Darwinism that dominates the collective brainwashed consciousness. But it is noteworthy to point out a lot of crackpot social theorists, most notably Ayn Rand, would use concepts like tit for tat to illustrate thier unfounded untested claims to further their philosophical validity.

I don't like the "tit for tat" as people usually expect something in return for helping someone and that bother me a lot. Could even lead into currency of "this is a big favour I'm doing and you can't return such big favour so you have to do 3 favours for me!".

ziq wrote at September 11, 2018 at 5:46 PM
(edited at September 11, 2018 at 5:48 PM)

I'm interested lately in indie anarchy as 'artisinal socialism'. Small scale, loosesly affiliated cottage industries of artisans practicing their craft; learned from apprenticeships and other mutual aid. Self-sufficiency would be prioritized over relying on a giant faceless mega-industrial collective for all your needs.

ziq wrote at September 11, 2018 at 7:50 PM
(edited at September 11, 2018 at 7:52 PM)

martasultan wrote at September 12, 2018 at 12:38 AM
(edited at September 12, 2018 at 12:39 AM)

That's why I personally like it, with more illegalist aspects than most mutualists ascribe to. It's sort of a middle ground- not because I'm a centrist but because both are very attractive and mutualism seems to be something worth my time.